A Race To Remember
by The Feline Overlord
Summary: It's down to the final six in The Ridonculous Race and two sisters are determined to make it all the way. But will Emma and Kitty be able to survive in the face of their enemies, even with their own bond being tested? Hear their experiences firsthand in this AU of The Ridonculous Race's final week!
1. Comradery And Catfish

**Dear Readers: Sorry I'm a little late in posting this. Anyways, time for a new story! Emma and Kitty are my favorite Total Drama characters, and I wanted to do an AU/retelling centralized around them.**

 **Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: I finished Total Drama Island!**

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 **Chapter 1: Comradery and Catfish (Kitty)**

"We're in the final six! This is so cool!"

"You said that two legs ago for the final seven," my sister replies bluntly.

"I wonder what Vietnam is like."

"We're soon to find out, if you just wait through this flight." Rummaging in her backpack, Emma pulls out a thick brown book.

"Whatcha reading? Oh. That again?" Whenever we had a free moment, she would spend it studying for law school. I had come to hate her law textbook. "I'm going to sit with Carrie. Just keep reading your book - okay?" I wait for her to protest, to call me  
back. Nothing. "I'll just be over there if you need me, I guess."

"Okay." She doesn't even look up. I wasn't sure which Emma I preferred: the competitive, serious, bossy person she was now, or her in the time she was fawning over Noah. She was much nicer, but unfocused and obsessive, even to the point where it got kind  
of creepy.

I make my way down the aisle to find Carrie sitting alone while Devin is stumbling around blindly a few rows down. "Oh! Hi, Kitty."

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Sure. It's a long flight, so you might as well make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks, Carrie. It's nice to hang out with someone interesting for a change." I make a face. "Emma's just reading her law book again. Anyways, how's it going with you and Devin?"

Carrie unexpectedly bursts into tears. "We hardly talk anymore, and when we do it's just awkward small talk. He told me yesterday that he loved unibrows, of all things! I hate unibrows," she sobs.

Just then, a flight attendant with a unibrow walks by. We both cringe. "Um, I was just saying I, um, hate unibrow haters. Yeah, that's it! What do people have against unibrows anyway?" She laughs nervously.

"Nothing to see here," I add. The flight attendant walks away, shaking his head.

"Kitty, you're good with this type of stuff. What should I do about Devin?"

"I think you should talk to him about it. Maybe there's more to it than he's letting on to."

"You're right. The hot peppers in his eyes are probably still bothering him or something."

"Can someone show me the way to the bathroom?" Devin, eyes still red from the hot peppers yesterday, is feeling around the back of the plane.

He approaches the Police Cadets. "Is it here?"

"No!" Sanders shrinks away from him.

"You try and do it here, you get the taser!" MacArthur reaches into her back pocket.

"That's my signal to go. Thanks, Kitty." Carrie quickly rushes down the aisle, escorting Devin away from the uncomfortable cadets.

"Don't worry," Jacques calls out to Devin. "It is an easy mistake to make."

"Yes," adds Joseé, locking eyes with MacArthur. "Judging by the smell, it could've easily been a restroom over there."

I am aware that it isn'tthe nicest thing to do, and that a possibly taser-owning police cadet isn't someone Emma and I wanted as an enemy, but I can't help but laugh. Joseé's proclamation wasn't entirely incorrect. If there was one thing I learned  
from fighting with her back in Las Vegas, it was that MacArthur isn't exactly the most hygenically inclined person. Besides, our fight with the dune buggies was probably enough to make her hate me either way.

I return to my seat to find Emma had dozed off, her book still in her lap.

"Wake up, sis. We're landing soon," I prompt.

"I'm ready! Where's the Don Box?" Emma looks around and attempts to stand up, but is stopped by her seatbelt.

"You really have to stop doing that."

As soon as the plane touches down, we bolt away. Six teams running hard and jockeying for position trample the pilot, the unibrowed flight attendant from earlier, and the luggage truck in our mad dash to the Don Box.

Multiple near misses with traffic and vengeful airport-goers later, the last four cabs in sight are off, leaving only us, the Surfer Dudes, and two little kids on bicycles with carriages in front of them. Emma scowls at the waving boy. "There's no way  
this kid's fast enough." This is what I am afraid of. "Do you speak English?" He answers in something I can only guess is Vietnamese. My sister gestures for him to get off.

"Um, Emma? What are you doing?" She turns to me. Oh no.

She somehow manages to convince the local to get of the bike, and more surprisingly get me to pedal it. "Why," I moan.

"Put your back into it! You're doing great, Kit!" Emma shows the boy our Travel Tip. "How do we get here?" He nods and points to the left.

It continues like this, them sitting up front and relaying directions to me as I maeuver the streets. Bythe time we reach the Don Box, I am drenched in sweat and breathing hard. "Okay, that was longer than I thought," Emma admits.

"How can you say that? I was the one pedaling!"

"Hey, at least we beat Carrie and Devin."

"Kitty! Emma! Over here!" Carrie waves us over. As does Devin, but he's facing away from us to where the other three teams are in a boat.

"Oh. Maybe not, then." Emma facepalms. "The Surfers?", she adds hopefully.

"Dudes, it looks like we're working together. It's a Superteam," Geoff calls. Brody comes over and proceeds to hug both of us.

"Great. It's certainly a super Superteam we have here," Emma snorts. To punctuate this, there is a loud crash and a yelp of pain as Devin bumps into the cameraman. "And... we're tied for last."

"Thank you," I tell the little boy who put up with my crazy sister. He smiles and gives me a thumbs up before driving off.

The challenge was to, working together, catch six native catfish using our fingers as bait, and there was a special branded catfish (how they got a Zip-It Ticket on a catfish I'm not sure) that would allow us to skip the next challenge and go straight  
to the Chill Zone.

"Let's do this!" The six of us enter the boat.

"Okay, everyone," Emma says. "We need six catfish, and there are probably some underneath us right now. Here's the plan. Kitty and Geoff, you can cannonball of the stern to scare the fish over to me and Carrie so we can do the noodle thing to catch them.  
Got it?"

"Yeah! Go team!" we cheer, some with more enthusiasm than others.

Geoff looks from me to the water around us. "Did you say 'cannonball'?" No sooner than the others had gotten into position, the two of us leap off the boat, yellling and splasing to make as much noise as possible.

Emma yelps and lifts her hand from the water to reveal a horrifically ugly catfish. "Eww. I got one."

Soon after, Carrie is bitten by another, equally gross, creature. "This feels really strange," she declares. They pass the fish over to Brody and Devin on the boat. It takes a bit of time for them to come back, but Geoff and I are able to sucessfully  
canoodle a catfish each. This leaves only two more, and the branded catfish is still out there.

The fish on my hand was truly one of the most unpleasant things I've felt in my life. It was all weird and slimy, and seriously, who would eat something that smelt so bad?

The other team, who I am beginning to think of as Team Psycho, is not doing nearly as well. Jacques is cowering in the boat, and Sanders is trying to calm MacArthur down. "Get on my hand, stupid mustache fish," she yells, unaware that the noise isn't  
helping her or her teammates. "Just bite my hand already!"

"Be quiet, MacArthur," Sanders urges. "Your voice is scaring the fish away."

Joseé approaches her and, from what I've seen before, has no good intentions. "Not to mention her odor, personality, and face. All very scary." Did the Ice Dancers ever give anyone a break? I mean, come on! You're in an alliance with them!

"Done," Devin yells as Emma lifts the final catfish into the boat, before he promptly falls into the water. Carrie catches him, but the impact causes both of them to go under.

They resurface a second later. "You okay, homie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Carrie replies, though she definitely didn't look fine.

"Judge dude! We're done," Brody shouts. The judge launches a speedboat off the dock, floating towards us.

"Hey, guys. I got another one." Devin is wading in the water and dragging something behind him. "It's a big one!"

"Put it on the pile," Geoff advises. "The more, the merrier." He heaves it in with some difficulty.

The judge peers into our boat, only to find a large and honestly quite fat (though I would never say that directly to its face) crocodile. "Hey, who put a crocodile in our boat? Was it you, Devin?"

"No. Um, maybe?" He rubs his eyes. "Did I?"

The Vietnamese woman snorts and starts to turn her speedboat around.

"Wait. Judge dude. Stay right there," says Brody. He grabs the crocodile and performs the Heimlich maneuver on it, causing it to regurgitate catfish into the boat. As if the fish weren't already gross enough. She shudders but gives us the next tip.

"It's an All-In. We're headed to some underground tunnels to find the Don Box," reads Carrie.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but should we keep this alliance?" Emma muses. "At least for the next couple legs?" Everyone agrees with her.

After finding a taxi (one with an engine, thankfully), I tell her "I'm proud of you for making an alliance without me telling you. Isn't it great to know they always have our backs?"

"Yes, but it won't get in the way of us winning," she puts in matter-of-factly.

I shake my head. "Of course. How do you feel about tunnels?"

We meet back up with the others, ready for our next challenge.

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 **How was it? As usual, please leave constructive feedback, and I will try to update twice a month.**


	2. Into The Dark

**Dear Readers: I'm back! Sorry this is a little late. This was so fun to write; I was pretty much smiling the whole time. Is that weird?**

 **Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: Wow, it's been a while! I don't want summer to end. Sad face.**

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 **Chapter 2: Into The Dark (Emma)**

"Ca-CAW! Ca-CAW!" Geoff jumps up and down and makes bird noises. This is apparently what we are supposed to do if we find the Don Box in the tunnels. There are three entrances, so we had decided to split up.

"Awesome signalling, man." Brody fist bumps him. I should've known better than to even try and make an alliance. The last two have ended me into a four person hang glider crash and turned me into a crazy, Noah-obsessed person with no competitive drive.

"Let's go, Kitty. We have a challenge to win." I lead her into the rightmost entrance.

"Good luck, guys!" She waves to them as we leave. As we walk, it gets dimmer. I find myself constantly checking over my shoulder to make sure my little sister is still there. "Wow, it's creepy in here. I wish we found the Zip-It Ticket."

"Me too. We could be in first place right now," I reply.

"I would've loved to rub that in the Ice Dancers' and the Police Cadets' faces! Maybe they'd lay off on each other after knowing what it feels like."

"If we're a big enough threat to cause those two to team up against us, I don't know whether to be proud or scared."

"Exactly."

We walk in silence for a while, punctuated only by the occasional flash of light from Kitty's phone. "To make sure we don't miss the Don Box in a dark corner," she explains.

"You don't have to be sneaky about it. I know you're taking selfies."

"Aw, thanks Em."

"I said I knew you were doing it, not that you could," I snap. Just when I though she was going to actually be mature and focused for a challenge. "In case you haven't noticed, we're in a race here. And I intend to win." This shuts her up for a while. I wonder if I was too harsh. We could be eliminated if she decided to refuse to help me again, like she did in Iceland.

"Just wondering, what do you plan to do with all those pictures anyways," I ask in an attempt at a pleasant conversation. We don't seem to have nearly enough of those nowadays. "It's not like you have the time to look through every single one, right?"

"I wish I could, but it just takes too much time. I did make a folder for every leg of the Race, though. Don still hasn't sent me the rhino pictures we took."

"We can ask him after we finish."

"I'm thinking of posting them all on social media. Once the Race is over, though. Don't want to give any spoilers."

"I bet you're going to be famous."

"You too. Check these out." She hands me her phone. I glance at the screen, intending to go straight back to looking for the Don Box.

"Wait. What the heck, Kit! Why did you take a picture of me sleeping."

"Why not. Let's just say, do anything I don't like, and you may become the next internet sensation."

"Even if you did, who would look at it? Probably just Noah, and maybe Mom and Dad."

"I would! Can I see the pictures? They sound hilarious." We both turn around. The cameraman glances around nervously as we, and the rest of our camera crew, both stare at him. He cringes and puts a hand to his ear; most likely Don was yelling at him on his headset.

"Just keep doing what you're doing. Forget I even said anything." The woman next to him with a microphone facepalms.

We converse minimally from then on, only saying things like "Left or right," "Still no sign of the Don Box," and "Watch out! There's a dead rat over there." Ew.

"Ah! I stepped on it. I stepped on the dead rat!" The same guy from before starts freaking out and runs past us.

"Hey. Come back, Andy! It's just a rat!"

"Let it go. We can just film without him. Don'll get him later. Won't he?"

"I guess."

I didn't contribute much to this exchange; I wasn't letting some behind-the-scenes camera guy freakout slow us down. Something taps me on the shoulder and I jump, whirling around with fist raised. As I scan the dim cave, Kitty starts to giggle.

"Ugh. Don't do that!"

"I totally got you good! That was too easy, 'cause it's so dark in here, and spooky, and-". She trails off. "Emma, do you think there are any traps or anything in here?"

"Nah. If there were any, I would've found one by now." I just had to say something, for the ground suddenly gives way beneath me. Rough stone scrapes my hands as I feel myself slipping. "Kitty! Pull me up!" I hadn't meant it to be a command, but I was scared out of my mind. In my defense, who wouldn't be.

Kitty grabs me by the wrists and pulls hard. It hurts, but is definitely worth not plummeting to my death. "I'm sorry, Emma. You're too heavy."

Despite the situation, I can't help but tease my little sister. "Excuse me?"

She rolls her eyes. "I mean, I'm not strong enough. Better?"

"Yes. I can die knowing I'm not fat. Just lovely."

"Don't worry, I'll find a way. Just don't look down." Too late. The pit wasn't nearly as deep as I thought it would be, but the depth was the least of my problems. Glistening white spikes filled the hole, extending to about six inches below my feet.

"I'm slipping! Help!" I curse my carelessness and sweaty hands, clawing at the stone.

"Is there a ledge you can use to boost yourself up?" I manage to find a small lip of stone, barely wide enough for my foot. Slowly, I shift my weight onto it. Without warning, it cracks off sending pieces of rock shrapnel into the spikes, where I am sure my body would soon join them.

"Emma!" As I brace for impact, something grabs me with a yell and, with tremendous force, hauls me onto solid ground. I fall forwards, collapsing on my equally shaken savior. "Emma, are you okay?" What does it look like, Kit? I nearly got impaled!

"I - I think so."

"Then could you please get off of me now?"

"Right. Sorry." Unable to find the strength to get up, I roll to the side; Kitty stands up before offering a hand to me. I accept it, shakily rising to my feet. "Wow, Kit. I got to give you that one."

She shrugs. "We're sisters. It's what we do."

"Sure. And fifteen minutes can save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance."

"Also that. 'Saving my big sister from falling to her death' selfie!"

The thing that jolted me out of my almost-dying trauma was, in fact, how much of a pain in the butt Kitty could be. "We lost so much time! I'm an idiot. We're going to be eliminated!"

Kitty listens hard, but not to me. "Hey, do you hear that?" The Surfers appear next to us with a crash, alongside a mound of fresh rubble where the wall used to be. We both gawk at the sight.

"Did you two just bust through that wall?"

"Yeah, and it was awesome!" Brody cheers. "How did you know?"

"Oh, just a lucky guess." Kitty snickers as I glance pointedly at their perfectly preserved silhouettes in the wall of the tunnel, complete with Geoff's hat. They don't seem to catch on, though.

"We just found the Don Box when we heard screaming," Geoff explains. "We figured someone needed help and followed the noise here. So, wanna come and get the tip with us?"

"Sure! Thanks, guys." Kitty fist bumps both Geoff and Brody. "See, Emma. The alliance is already paying off!"

"Right. Superteam forever."

"I feel like we're forgetting something - should we wait for Carrie and Devin?"

"We lost a bunch of time. They're probably out already."

"If you say so."

Geoff holds up the Travel Tip, which has a map on it. "So, according to this, we just have to go this way ... turn here ..." Geoff leads us through the tunnel network. "Boom! We're out!"

We are neck and neck most of the way to the Chill Zone, but at the last second, the Surfers pull ahead. So much for "alliance". A quick head count tells me that the Best Friends are still in the tunnels, and somehow, the Axis of Evil got their act together and beat us.

"Surfer Dudes, fourth place! And Emma and Kitty in fifth," Don announces, confirming my suspicions.

"Yes! We made it, Kit!"

Carrie and Devin arrived at the Chill Zone, seeming to also have predicted their fate. "Don't worry, you're not eliminate," Don encourages. They step on the carpet. "Now you are."

"That's not cool, man," chides Brody.

"I wish I cared. Anyways, that means, you, Carrie and Devin, have been cut from the competition. Ryan calls Carrie over, but Kitty goes the other way.

"Devin looks pretty upset. Follow my lead." I reluctantly trail after her.

"Devin! What happened out there? Carrie's worried about you." That isn't exactly the truth from what Kitty had told me, but I doubt either of them would appreciate me pointing that out.

"I don't know. I've just not been able to do aything right, and I've been really nervous, and I even got us lost and cost us the whole race!" He pauses, taking a shaky breath. "And." He glances around furtively, like someone was going to jump out at him.

"You can trust us, Devin. We're your friends," says Kitty.

He blurts, "I - I love her! Carrie, I mean."

"You what? Actually that makes a lot of sense, but seriously? Carrie's been tortured by your friendzoning her had she thinks the two of you are drifting apart! You have some serious explaining to do!" She grabbed Devin, yelling things like "How could you!" and slapping him in the face no less than four times.

Devin seems more stunned than anything else. "You're right! I have to tell her before she gets away! But what if she doesn't feel the same?"

How dense was this guy? "You really haven't noticed yet?" I grab him by th collar and begin to shake him vigorously while yelling something along the lines of "Carrie loves you and always has" interlaced with a lot of other things I'd probably regret later.

"Emma," Kitty scolds.

"Oops. Sorry Devin."

Don, who I hadn't even noticed was still there, comes up behind me, startling all three of us. "Don't worry. I can beep that out."

"Thanks."

Devin. Carrie's ready for you two to do your elimination spiel now."

Devin starts to agree, but Kitty is quick to stop him. "We'll be over in a few minutes. We still have one thing to take care of. Right, Devin?"

"Fine, suit yourself. Just do it quickly."

We watch from a respectful distance as Devin dodges a punch and several kicks to the kiwis before finally getting his point out and Carrie kisses him.

Kitty nudges me. "Aw, isn't that sweet?"

Honestly, it was just making me uncomfortable. "No, not really. They do realize they're on TV, right?"

"That's never stopped you and Noah before, has it?"

"Fair point."

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 **Yay another chapter done! As usual, please review if you read this, it means a lot to me.**


	3. On Thin Ice

**Dear Readers: Here's another chapter. Yay! Also, this story has a cover now, hand-drawn by yours truly. I'm really proud of it. Also, I know Emma is getting two chapters in a row from her POV, but this is because I have it all planned out so Kitty can narrate whenever she Botches. Don't worry, they will have the same amount of chapters in the end.**

 **Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: I may not update as often because of school, but please know that this is still going strong.**

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 **Chapter 3: Into The Dark (Emma)**

We take the elevator; no use in wasting our energy before the race even started. "Good morning, racers," says Don. This was pretty ironic, considering the sun had barely risen yet. Most of the other contestants had already arrived.

"Ugh. Are we really starting the leg this early in the morning?"

"No, actually. I have breakfast first. The producers kind of felt bad for you, so they got you this." Don hands each of us a thermos. It is warm to the touch.

"Cool! What is it?" Brody inspects the container.

"Pho," Don clarifies.

"What?"

He rolls his eyes. "Vietnamese noodle soup. Made from the catfish you caught yesterday."

Jacques dropped the thermos like it had just bitten him. "There's _catfish_ in that?" To Don's credit, it tasted surprisingly good for coming from something so ugly. Then I remembered what happened to our catfish.

"Don? These are clean, right?"

He glances around furtively, and his eyes fall on Andy the cameraman, who I noted had not been fired. Yet. "You cleaned the fish for the Pho, right?"

"Nope. I mean, yes? Yeah, we definitely cleaned them. I am one hundred percent sure we did. Right guys?"

The interns and the rest of the camera crew all murmured in agreement. I didn't want to even risk drinking soup made from alligator puke, but I kept the container anyways. It was a pretty good hand warmer.

Don interrupts us and calls the Axis of Evil teams up to the Don Box to receive their Travel Tips. As our supposed allies, Geoff and Brody, are invited up to get their clue next, I tense, ready to run. We are in last place and would have to race hard to stay in it. I was certainly up for the task, and hopefully my unfocused little sister was too. Punching the Don Box button, I snatch the tip without slowing down. Thankfully, Kitty catches me before I get too far. "Um, Emma? The airport's the other way."

"Right, I knew that. Taxi!"

I wish I could say we miraculously overtook all the other teams and were the first to the airport, paving the way to win the leg. And the million. And Noah's heart. Ignore that last part. But in truth, we barely make the flight on time.

It is no secret some people were hoping we didn't make it at all. Josee complains loudly to Jacques as we follow the Surfers onto the plane. As much as I would feel the same in their position, they were being just plain mean. I mention this to Kitty.

"You might want to keep in mind, this competition can bring out the best and worst in everyone," she responds cryptically. Though she doesn't say it directly, I think it anyway. _Even you._ When I look back at her, she is completely immersed in some video game on her phone.

After another uneventful plane ride, in which I have an irritatingly one-sided strategy discussion with Kitty and listen to the Haters yell at each other, we land in Siberia, Russia. As soon as we exit the airplane, I am hit with a blast of freezing air. We were wearing warmer clothes as advised, but that seemed to barely help.

We run simply to keep warm. Hopefully our challenge is indoors or something. Once we arrive at the next Don Box, Kitty grabs the tip and holds it up for us to read. I scan it, reading "Racers must ice yacht all the way to the Kola borehole."

"In our swimsuits," she finishes, even her normal optimism gone. This was going to be a long challenge.

Whatever cold I had been feeling before is suddenly amplified by a factor of at least several hundred. I squat outside the stall Kitty's changing in, ready to freeze to death in peace. My sister almost trips over me when she opens the door. "Yes! First ones out!"

"Let's just get this over with." On the edge of the semi-frozen river, a quick count tells me that we, in fact, are for a change. It was nice, but I quickly snap out of it. Since we're in the lead, we have a target on our backs. The Axis of Evil was bound to try and eliminate us or Geoff and Brody, and we had to make sure it was Geoff and Brody. But how? It was too risky to try and make ourselves look like the lesser threat. As we set sail, I contemplate sabotaging them.

I quickly dismiss this, because they could be strong allies later on and aren't really smart enough to go against us. Besides, Kitty would never let me. Our best bet would be to just try and stay ahead so no one could sabotage us, I conclude. Our game plan set, I go back to thinking about how freaking _cold_ it is.

"How do you make this thing go faster?" Kitty, looking agitated, stands up in the boat and looks ahead.

I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. "Look at you, so focused all of a sudden. Who are you, and what happened to my sister?" I tease.

"I am from the planet Neptune and I ate the one you call 'Kitty'. Take me to your leader." She crosses her eyes and flips her pigtails up like antennae, before swiping playfully at me. "I will eat you too now."

"This is no time for games, Kit. There are only four other teams left, and three of them are in an alliance against us!"

Kitty's face falls, but her normal smile returns quickly. "Admit it. If an actual alien ate me and took on my form, you wouldn't stand a chance."

There's one thing I have to admire her for, and that's her ability to see the good in anything and anyone. She would bounce right back and have a great time doing it.

Trying to salvage the situation, I ask, "Anyways, would you have eaten me before or after I took you to my leader?"

"I didn't think about that. I'd say … after, because then I could eat your leader too."

"Makes sense." It occurs to me how morbid this is getting.

"Who is our leader, anyways? Mom?"

"You better not eat her."

"Wasn't planning on it."

Our pointless alien discussion did have one advantage, though - it acted as a distraction from the cold. "Look, there's the borehole up ahead!"

It was then that I realized that A, we were still moving very fast, and B, we were about to plummet to our death. Again.

Ignoring the horrible coldness of the metal, I pull back on the brake with numb fingers. Nothing happens. "Help me! I think the brake's frozen!" We are able to finally budge it with our combined strength, and we can only hope and wait as we begin to lose speed.

Time slows to a crawl, along with what seems like everything else. Except our yacht, of course, because that's exactly how life works. My hands still clutch the brake. They may or may not be frozen to it, but I don't dare let go.

When the ice yacht finally grinds to a halt, we are teetering on the edge of a gaping hole. I rip my hands from the brake and throw myself to the back of the boat, Kitty by my side. The yacht slowly rights itself. Too slowly; I can already see the Haters coming up in the distance. And was that a yeti? Nope, cold was probably making me see things. "C'mon Emma! We're still in first!" Kitty snatches her clothes from a very surprised intern and makes a beeline for the changing stall.

"Let's keep it that way."

After getting my regular clothes back on, I feel a little bit better. "It's an All-In," Kitty reads. "We have to go down there?"

"Looks like it. Hey, you seem to have a lot of energy today."

"I just wanted my clothes back! I was freezing!"

"Since it seems to make you go faster, maybe you should do the rest of this race in your swimsuit. As incentive."

"What, no! Anyways, I think I'll have to go down into the borehole. I'm lighter than you, so it should be more efficient."

"What can I say? Muscle is denser than fat." She smiles, to my satisfaction.

"Good. Then you should have no problem lowering me down- how deep is this hole?"

I read the tip more thoroughly. "Seven miles, Kit. You need to go all the way to the bottom and retrieve a ball."

"Wait! I can't go in there! Is there even air that deep in the ground?"

"How am I supposed to know? I'm a lawyer, not a scientist!" This didn't really help the situation. Something tells me I should say something reassuring. "Um, Don wouldn't make a challenge like this if there wasn't any air, right?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see another ice yacht approaching. "Get in the harness, quick! The Haters are coming!" Kitty obeys hesitantly. Once I am sure she is secure and has her headlamp on, I go over to the crank and proceed to lower my little sister into a hole.

"Are you okay? Is it dark down there?" I say through my headset.

"Emma, you've literally been lowering me for fifteen seconds," comes her response.

Sure enough, if I peer over the edge of the borehole I can still see her. She looks up and waves at me. I brace the handle in the crook of my arm to wave back, then continue turning the crank. "Please be careful, Kit."

"Don't worry, I will."

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 **If you read this, please review, regardless of if you enjoyed it or not (I hope you did, though). It's nice just to know people are reading my fanfiction. I have the next chapter written up, and it's a long one! I just need to type it up and proofread it. Until then, goodbye, and have a nice life.**


	4. Out Of Reach

**Dear Readers: Here I am again. Shout-out to VIPGuest for reviewing, I'm glad you like it. And also, longest chapter so far, yay!**

 **Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: I have just two episodes left before I'm completely caught up on Total Drama. I'm kind of sad.**

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 **Chapter Four: Out Of Reach (Kitty)**

When I was told I was going to be lowered seven miles deep into the earth's crust, I never thought it would be so boring. There was really nothing to do besides stare into the blackness below or talk to Emma via headset, two equally boring activities.

Settling on the former, I notice a note posted on the wall. "Emma? Could you pull me up a little. I think Don left a note. It could be important.

The only response is a chorus of screams which she soon joins in on, followed by a loud crash. "Um, is everything okay up there?" It was more of a rhetorical question, more to determine what had happened than that something did.

"The Haters and Surfers crashed their ice yachts. It's kinda messy," she responded.

"Are they okay?"

"They're fine, but more importantly, Ryan and Geoff are coming down."

She pulls me up a few feet and I can see the note up closer. It has the Ridonculous Race logo and reads, '2 miles- good job on not dying yet!' A sparkly yellow smiley face sticker sticks it to the wall. "Good news, Em. Just five more miles to go!"

"Twelve, if we count pulling you back up," she grumbles. "I'm lowering you again, okay?" Before I can respond, she does. I watch the strange little note and out-of-place sticker until they are little more than a speck in the distance. By this point, the pinpoint of light that is the surface is long since gone. My headlamp is my only source of light.

"Ice Dancers are here, but Joseé's freaking out and stuff. Could be a while."

So that leaves … MacArthur and Sanders?"

"Yes. I wonder what's taking so long. They're a good team."

"Dysfunctional, but good."

When I finally have my feet on solid ground again, I tell Emma to stop cranking. Outcroppings of rock cast strange shadows against the walls of the hole, which move as I turn my head. "It's nice and warm down here."

"Well, it isn't up here, so get moving." Typical Emma.

I quickly find what I am looking for- a bright red tennis ball. "Got one! First place here we come!"

"Awesome! You ready to come back up?"

"Let's go!"

I clutch the ball in both hands, willing myself not to drop it. We are back up to the four-mile mark ('How have you not died yet?' complete with magenta smiley face) when I see Joseé descending towards me.

"Wow! How did you pass Ryan and Geoff?"

"Jacques dropped me a mile or two," she responds bitterly. "Anyways, congratulations on finding a ball. Is it easy, or are they hidden somewhere?" As she speaks, Josee swings back and forth on her harness, coming closer to me with each swing. I figure that it's probably a nervous tic- I know she gets claustrophobic. Or maybe she just had to pee. That would be unfortunate. "It's actually pretty easy with these lights." I point to my headlamp.

"Good to know." She smirks. Just as she reaches eye level, she lunges at me. Before I know it, she had taken my ball, broken my headlamp, and was going back up. I do manage to give her a good kick in the shin, though. But that isn't the worst of it. I still have to tell Emma.

"Are you okay," she asks. "Jacques is acting weird- did something happen down there?"

"I'm sorry, sis. Joseé took my ball and punched my light out."

"She what? I swear, if she hurt you-"

"Well, my flashlight."

"Oh. Ha ha, that's so funny, _I forgot to laugh._ We might be in last place now! If I get my hands on those slimy, cheating, -"

"Um, could you start lowering me?"

"Right."

I begin to move again, back into the depths of the borehole. Though I'm not sure if Emma could be consoled at this point. "We probably won't get first, but we can stay in this!" Silence. "Right?"

"Yeah, we better. Sorry, just thinking about something."

"Noah?", I guess.

"No, actually." Emma sounds a bit offended. Not everything I think about is Noah! Anymore, at least. Anyways, the Travel Tip says specifically to go to the bottom of the borehole. Joseé didn't, so she could be penalized. Plus the Cadets only just got here. We could still be in first place!"

I am soon back at the bottom, but it feels completely different not being able to see my hand in front of my face. It is like the darkness is creeping into my very being. I'm not scared of the dark. No, definitely not. But I _am_ , however, scared of being stuck deep in the earth with zero light and a single flimsy cable as my only connection to the world. Big difference.

"Found a ball yet?" The voice startles me, until I realize it is just my headset.

"No. I can't see anything here. It's too dark."

"Can you try feeling around? At least until your eyes adjust? We don't have much time."

"I'll try." I get down onto my hands and knees and cautiously feel around. It is eerily quiet. "Emma, are you still there?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Could you just… keep talking to me? I think it will help. I just want to know you're still up there."

"What do I say?"

"Anything."

"Um, I am talking right now. This is noise. We are in Siberia right now, and I'm freezing, and the Ice Dancers are horrible people, and Noah is hot. How am I doing?"

"Great! Just keep going."

"Okay, anyone who's listening to this probably thinks it's really weird. Noise. Talking. Yay."

I continue to crawl around the space, feeling for a ball. Rock, rock, dirt, wall, something cold and wet, and … was it? Nope, just another rock.

Suddenly, the cavern is illuminated, temporarily blinding me. Once my vision clears, I see Ryan poking around behind some rocks.

I walk over to him, knowing it might be my only chance.

"Hi, Ryan. I know we're not on the same team, but could you help me? Joseé kind of killed my headlamp."

He starts to respond, but cringes as Stephanie yells at him on his headset. "Sorry, Kitty. I'd _like_ to, but _Stephanie_ here won't let me. Maybe if I find two in the same spot?"

"Thanks anyways." I try to search by the dim light his headlamp provides. Finally I spot a red sphere and lunge for it, but he reaches it first.

Ryan gets up and begins to ascend once more. "Please don't go," I call out to him. "It's just so dark and spooky in here." Yeah, I'm desperate. He looks back at me pityingly, but not much else.

"I'm guessing no luck with Ryan?" Emma asks.

"Nothing," I affirm.

"Hopefully you can convince Geoff. I think he's almost to the bottom."

"We won't have to. If I remember correctly, we're in an alliance. One that _you_ started."

She snorts. "Good luck with that."

While the light was welcome, it had seriously messed with my night vision. Now I am literally left back in the dark.

"Hey dudette." Geoff lands next to me. "What happened to your headlamp?"

"Joseé broke it and took my ball."

"Heh. She punched your light out." I refrain from pointing out that I had thought of that exact pun earlier.

"Could you help me? I can't find anything when it's this dark."

"Of course I'll help you! We're in an alliance! Just let me get mine first."

I can't resist. "Hear that, Emma? Geoff's going to help us because we're in an _alliance._ "

"Ugh, I get it. I was wrong and you were right. Now hurry up already! It's freezing up here!"

"Geoff takes off his helmet. "I got a ball already. Here, switch helmets with me."

"Thank you so much!" I take his headlamp and hand over my broken one.

"Hi Brody," I say.

"Wait, Kitty? Is that you?"

"Yup! Geoff gave me his helmet, 'cause Joseé broke mine."

"Heh. She punched your light out."

"I've heard that one already."

"Oh."

"Could you trade headsets with Emma? Geoff has my helmet."

"Sure. Just a sec."

I take the time to continue searching for a ball. Geoff quickly disappears from view. In watching him leave, something red wedged in a crack in the wall catches my eye.

Standing on tiptoe, it is just out of reach. I jump to grab it and managed to dislodge and knock the ball to the ground. "This is Emma again. You there, Kit?"

"Yeah. You could say I'm seeing this challenge in a _whole new light._ " She ignores my totally awesome pun, though I know she is laughing in her mind. Or maybe just in my mind. "I just got a ball. Could you pull me up?" I begin my second journey to the surface, hoping it is my final.

"Ryan and Stephanie are done already, and I'm pretty sure if the Ice Dancers got a penalty it's up by now."

Somewhere near the halfway point (with another morbid note), I seem to be slowing down. "Come on, Emma! You can do it! Less than four miles to go!"

"I'm going as fast as I- MacArthur! What are you doing?"

"What's going on?" Whatever answer Emma tries to give is drowned out by the screaming. I am not sure if it comes from around me or from the headset. Something plummets past me, flailing. "Sanders? Stop, MacArthur! You're gonna kill her!" She probably wasn't able to hear me, but I had to try. I reach out with my free hand to try and grab the cable, but it slips through my hands and I recoil instinctively.

"I think Sanders broke her arm," Emma reports.

My hand feels like it is on fire (and I do know what that feels like, don't ask), but there is only one thing going through my mind.

"I could've saved her," I confess.

I wanted Emma to say something like "That's nonsense" or "There's no way it's your fault," but her only response is, "Tell me what happened."

"Sanders fell right past me. I tried to grab her harness, but I couldn't stop her."

"You tried your best. Sanders'll understand."

"Maybe if I had dropped my ball and used both hands, I could've stopped her. Or if I had noticed it a little quicker…"

There is a slight pause, like Emma is trying to think of a good argument. She then says just about the most big sister-y thing possible. "There's no use thinking about it now, there's nothing we can do to change it. We just have to move forwards." After a moment, she added, "That sounded really cheesy, didn't it."

"It kind of did."

"We can check on the Cadets later. Right now, we need to focus on getting to the finish. Just one thing at a time."

"I guess."

I almost don't notice when I reach the surface. Emma helps me out of the harness and we are about to leave when MacArthur confronts us.

"You!" She yells. "Why didn't you help Sanders? It's your fault."

 _Don't show any signs she's affected you. Pretend you don't care. Don't you_ dare _cry in front of MacArthur._

Emma steps forward, putting herself between me and her. "You're the one who dropped her in the first place," she pointed out coolly. "You're no better than the Ice Dancers, are you? You'll do anything to win- even hurt your own partner."

I could tell Emma had hit a nerve, but she spits back at me, "Oh, so it looks like you need your big sister to protect you now. You can't save your own butt, let alone my partner's!"

Emma shoots me an apologetic glance and backs up, but I am quick to respond. It was bad enough blaming me for her mistake, but bringing my sister into it when she was only trying to defend me? That was lower than the bottom of the borehole! "That's because we're a team! We help each other, and we wouldn't do anything to put the other in danger. C'mon Emma, let's go. We have a race to win- er, place."

I hated to stop now; I was on a roll, but Sanders was probably almost to the top already, and they could probably outrun us in a foot race if it came to that. As we speed up to a jog, I tune out whatever MacArthur is yelling at me. _Just one thing at a time._

The Chill Zone is at a sauna, which is nice but not enough to improve my mood. As we have already figured out, we are the fourth team to arrive. Ironically enough, this is a higher place than in the previous leg.

The door opens, and Don grumbles something about letting hot air in. Emma glares at him. MacArthur walks to the carpet, an unconscious Sanders slung over her shoulder. Even the Ice Dancers make no attempt to taunt her.

"MacArthur and Sanders, I have some good news," Don announces cheerfully. Not the best move on his part.

"I don't need good news! Sanders needs help! You!" MacArthur points in my direction.

"M-me?"

"Yes, you! Can your phone do anything besides take selfies?"

"I'll call an ambulance." Sucking up to MacArthur wasn't my first choice, but I keep reminding myself to do it for Sanders. She doesn't deserve any of this, and I could make it right.

"Kitty, what happened to your hand?" At my sister's words, I look down. Maybe the cold had numbed it, or I had been ignoring it due to earlier … mishaps, but the palm of my left hand was worryingly red. I had gotten a rugburn before, while learning that it wasn't a good idea to slide on your butt across a hardwood floor. At top speed, without wearing pants. But really, could you blame a five-year-old?

"It's just a ropeburn. Nothing serious. I can just stick it in the snow or something."

"If you're hurt, we should find you help. We can hitch a ride on the ambulance, it won't be any trouble," Emma says gently. Then she ruins it by adding, "Otherwise we'll be at a disadvantage during the next leg."

"Always nice to know my big sis is looking out for me."

Emma shrugs. "I try."

Once we arrive at the hospital, MacArthur pushes past me and kicks open the door. "Officer down! Move it!"

I volunteer to wait since my injury isn't nearly as serious, and sit down with Emma in the waiting room. It takes a while, but two ice packs and some bandages later, my hand is feeling fine. After asking around, I find my way to Sanders's room. The door is closed.

Before I can change my mind, I knock on the door. "Who is it?" MacArthur's voice calls out.

"It's just Kitty. May I see Sanders?"

"Door's unlocked." I take it that I am allowed in. Sanders is laying in a bed, her arm in a cast. She appears to be sleeping rather than unconscious, and her face is peaceful.

MacArthur finally breaks the silence. "It, um, it wasn't your fault."

"I accept your apology."

"Don't push it, kid."

* * *

 **Thoughts? Comments? Insights on the true meaning of life (don't say 42)? Be sure to review!**


	5. Bringing The Heat

**Dear Readers: So, yeah. This is still a thing. I'm sorry for the long wait, I've just been really busy lately. Fun fact: this counts as my February update since the story that I planned on being my January update (Under the Bridge, you should totally check it out if you like crack pairings) wasn't updated until late February. Hopefully I can catch up on updating by the end of this month.**

 **Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: Nothing really. Just...life. And Flight Rising grinding challenges are making me slowly go insane.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Bringing The Heat (Kitty)**

If Emma says one more thing about being sore, I am seriously going to slap her again. I mean, she _did_ lower me all the way down the Kola Borehole, but I didn't need to hear about it 24/7. Besides, I was the one who was actively sabotaged by Joseé, got a ropeburn, and was yelled at by MacArthur, and you didn't hear _me_ complaining about it. Well, not out loud, at least.

Being in fourth place, we do have to wait while the Haters, Surfers, and (ugh) Ice Dancers receive their Travel Tips. On the plus side, though, I do get to check on Sanders. I'm still feeling kinda bad about not being able to stop her for getting her arm broken. At least it was a non-elimination round, because causing their elimination on accident would've sucked even more.

"Sanders, high five!" I hold up my own hand, bandaged due to my ropeburn from yesterday, while intentionally turning my back to MacArthur. She high-fives it to the best of her ability.

"If you two are done being Bandage Buddies, we're up. Come on, Kit." Emma gestures to me with our Tip in hand. "We're going to India!"

The other three teams had gotten cabs already, and it is kind of awkward standing there with MacArthur and Sanders. I feel like I should say something, but don't. When another taxi pulls up, with all four of us yelling at it, Emma takes a running leap onto the hood. "This one's ours," she bellows.

It takes the taxi driver, a droopy middle-aged man, a few seconds to notice her. He was talking on the phone, but nearly drops it when she sees Emma on his front window. She waves sheepishly at him. "Can't talk now, there's an angry Asian lady on my windshield," he says into the phone. Long story short, we get a cab, although we are given no shortage of dirty looks as we ride.

Emma's kamikaze taxi attack did actually have some benefit, because we end up the first team in line. As she books our flight, I try and think of something witty to say to MacArthur, who is standing behind us. Then Emma tells me the news. "We're all on the same flight."

"Ha! Suckers!" MacArthur crows.

Sanders quickly quiets her. "MacArthur. Be nice!"

"Why should I? She was the reason you broke your arm, and almost died." The weight of what she is saying suddenly seems to hit her. She hangs her head. "I'm sorry."

Emma finishes her transaction and we board our flight. It is almost dark outside as the flight finally takes off. My sister is out almost immediately, her face pressed up against the plane's window. I stay awake for a while, watching Siberia disappear below us. Emma starts drooling and I am in the process of framing the perfect picture of her when I hear it. MacArthur is crying. And I mean, really _bawling_. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

Sanders (thankfully, for the entire plane's sake), manages to calm her down eventually. And Emma had managed to sleep through it all. The lights in the plane have dimmed, and everything has started to settle down. I close my eyes, and soon drift off as well.

The next thing I know, Emma is shaking me back into reality. She leads me out of the airplane and we get our first look at Darjeeling, India. The place is the complete opposite of Siberia- the stifling heat and humidity is as bad, if not worse as the cold. "Emma? Remember yesterday, when I said that I'd never be warm again? I think I've changed my mind."

"Ugh, I know, right?" She turns to look at me, and her eyes widen. "Um, Kit? You have, erm, how do I say this."

"It's my hair again, isn't it?"

She nods. "Yeah…"

I run my hands through my pigtails, which are practically standing on end. Andy the cameraman starts laughing at me. He stops when we both glare at him.

The Haters are the first to reach the next Don Box, which Ryan faceplants onto. When it is our turn, Emma refuses to take the Tip. "I'm not touching that! It's got Ryan's forehead sweat all over it!" she declares to a chorus of eww's from the other contestants. I manage to kick the button, then pick our clue up from the ground.

"There, better?"

"Let's just go. Where to?"

"It's an All-In. This Ain't No Tea Party. We need to get baskets and harvest enough tea leaves to fill them."

"In this heat? Just lovely. Well, let's just get this over with."

Emma hands me a basket and takes one for herself. They have straps on them, so I wear mine like a backpack. "I feel like a pack mule," I say.

"Yeah, exactly."

Picking the tea leaves becomes a mindless process. We fall into a sort of rhythm, ripping fragrant leaves off of the plants and tossing them over our shoulders into the baskets. The good news was my hair had settled down, and I no longer looked like I had antennae.

As we continue, just minding our own business, none other than the Ice Dancers approach us. Emma is the first to speak up, and for once I agree with her. "Do you think you could go somewhere else?"

"Like where," counters Joseé.

"Oh, how about, _anywhere_ but here. We know you're up to something, and there's no way we're falling for it."

"No, no. We are not here to work against you, but to work with you. You see, we go after weakness. And you are not the weakest team right now.

She points at Ryan and Stephanie a few rows back, both who are on the ground and sweating profusely.

"Whoa, Steph's brain just snapped like a pencil," I observe.

"Mine would too, if I had to hear anymore of their arguing!" Emma folds her arms and glares at the Ice Dancers. "We're good. Besides, they'll probably just take themselves out."

"And because it's the right thing to do," I interject. My sister leaving that out somehow doesn't surprise me.

"Um, yeah. That too."

"Suit yourself." Joseé whirls around, Jacques at her heels.

He adds, "We understand." Come to think of it, Jacques had been unusually quiet during the exchange. Had he gone somewhere? It didn't matter. We go back to picking tea leaves. The encounter with the Ice Dancers must have invigorated me, because it is definitely easier. The basket on my back seemed lighter somehow. Weird.

"Hey, Kitty. By any chance, does your basket feel … lighter?"

"Oh my gosh, I was just thinking the same thing!" I then look behind me to see our leaves blow away, the baskets' bottoms hanging open uselessly. "Aw, crap."

Seeing the Ice Dancers prancing away, I yell the first thing that comes to mind- simple, effective, and to the point. "You suck!" A cackle is the only response.

Emma, surprisingly, doesn't seem too mad about the sabotage. Or maybe she was just waiting until after the leg to chew me out. She grits her teeth. "They'll get penalized for this, for sure. Just pick faster, Kit. We lost a lot of ground, but we can still make it."

I find myself repeatedly looking over my shoulder to ensure my precious cargo is still there. It isn't getting any cooler either. I am constantly blinking sweat out of my eyes, which is really gross now that I think about it.

"You know, it's times like this, when we're doing something torturous that we would never do otherwise, that I think. We better win this thing."

"It's what I plan on doing." Emma walks a few feet down the row to where the bushes look, well, bushier. I follow her.

As we work, I watch the Surfers, the Police Cadets (ugh), and the Ice Dancers (bigger ugh) all leave with their full baskets. For the million and for Emma, I would have to concentrate.

Finally we are done, and we hand them to a cheerful Indian woman, who gives us the next Travel Tip. "Get sent reeling on the Darjeeling," reads Emma. "C'mon, let's go!"

As we run, Emma explains the challenge. We were to ride a train, the Darjeeling Express, all the way to the Chill Zone. Since we were the fourth team to arrive, we'd get the fourth passenger car. But we wouldn't have to stay in that car the entire time. Once Don gave the signal, we'd get to fight our way through cars full of animals and other teams to make it to the front by the time the train reached Don and the Chill Zone.

On the train, I sit down and watch the buildings and trees go by. Emma leans against the wall, standing near the door. I remember the last train we went on during the Race, and how well _that_ went. My sister apparently does too, because almost as soon as she sits down, her eyes glaze over. I do the only logical thing, and admittedly enjoy it way too much. "Hey! What was that for?" Emma demands, rubbing her cheek where I had slapped her.

"Not my fault. You _told_ me to slap you whenever you went into a Noah-daze."

She pauses for a moment. "So I did." She sits down across from me. "While we're waiting, we might as well do something useful." I am tempted to interject and say that slapping her _was_ useful at the time. And it wasn't like _she_ wasn't doing anything more productive.

"So, what do you think of the other teams?" Emma asks. "Which one do you think will come to the finale with us." She speaks with such confidence that I believe her. We _will_ win this.

I run through the remaining teams in my head. "Like you said, the Haters will probably take themselves out." They were nice enough, just not to each other. I could also tell that the competition wasn't the best thing for their relationship.

"Yes, and if we're lucky, the Cadets and Ice Dancers will take each other out," she adds.

"I like the Surfer Dudes. If I had to pick one team to win instead of us-"

"Noah." She cuts me off immediately. I slap her again.

"Really, Kitty?"

"Sorry, just couldn't help myself. Anyways, I meant teams left in the game."

"Oh. Surfers are probably the best option, then, by process of elimination. They're really gullible, though. I can't help but think someone will take advantage of them."

Our thoughts are interrupted by a blast of static over the intercom, followed by Don's voice. "Racers, you may begin advancing to other cars, starting…" he says.

Emma leads the way to the front of our car, throwing open the door.

"...Now!" Don finishes. We step outside and reach the door to the next car.

Emma peeks inside and makes a face. "I hope you like chicken. On three?"

"Sure," I respond.

She holds up a finger, thankfully not the one you might imagine. _One._

"It's just a bunch of chickens. They can't really hurt us, right?" I note. _Two._

"Yeah, let's just get in and make it out to the other side as fast as possible." She holds up three fingers.

We barge into the train car. After all, how hard could it be?

* * *

 **...And, it's a cliffhanger. Though if you've watched the episode you probably know what's going to happen next. That's what makes it funny (I hope).**

 **Yay, another chapter done. I said that already in another chapter, didn't I? Anyways, be sure to review. Feline out! *flies away in my jetpack***


	6. Hit The Rails!

**Dear Readers: Hello. I know it's been a while with this story, but I'm just not as interested in it anymore. Updates will most likely be slower, but for now enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: Another summer is already almost done :(**

* * *

As soon as I enter the train car, I am sure it is a mistake. We are greeted by a maelstrom of feathers and an ominous chorus of … clucking? The chickens are on us almost immediately, clawing, pecking, and generally trying to kill us. I swat at the air around me, blinded by feathery down. Kitty screams and lets go of my hand.

A tidal wave of frenzied poultry knocks me over and throws me forcefully out of the car. I land in the still-open door of the previous car, almost losing my balance and falling out of the train. Then Kitty runs out the door, a particularly tenacious chicken still clawing at her face.

"Help! Get it off! Get it off!" She screeches, flailing her arms wildly. I try and pull the chicken off, but both sister and bird were moving around so much that I end up slapping Kitty in the face.

"Try hitting it against something," I suggest. She responds by repeatedly banging her head against the side of the car. Not exactly what I would've done, but it seemed to work. The chicken squawks indignantly and flaps away.

I manage to grab it and throw it off the train. "Well, that was probably both the most terrifying and the most humiliating thing I've done in a while."

"Yeah! Who knew chickens were so tough. I think I swallowed one." Kitty spits out a couple of feathers and makes a face.

"And we have four cars of this to get through? Hate to say it, but I'm not sure how we'll make it."

Kitty grins at me. "I have an idea, but I don't think you're going to like it." She has this look in her eyes, the one she gets when she's thinking of doing something stupid. But at this point, I am out of ideas.

"I'm probably going to regret this big-time, but let's hear it."

"You know how most trains have signs that say 'Keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times'? Well, this one doesn't. So whatever!"

"That's a cool observation, but I don't see-"

"Shush! I'm getting to the good part." I roll my eyes, but she ignores me. "I say, we climb on the roof of the train."

"That… actually could work." This was too good to be true! Kitty was contributing to the team, and had come up with a pretty good plan.

"Thanks, love ya sis." Before I can argue, she ducks out of my reach and climbs out the window. She nimbly scrambles up on top of the car, leaving me with no choice but to follow her. I stay on all fours to not lose my balance.

Naturally, Kitty had no regard for her own safety and was dancing around taking selfies. "This is incredible! Mom's totally gonna freak when she sees this!"

"More like incredibly dangerous!" I shoot back.

"Oh come on Emma, you could at least stand up. The train is like ten feet wide, there's no way you can fall." She looks over the side. "Okay, it's more like eight."

I shakily rise to my feet. The wind whips my hair into my face. "This is even worse than tobogganing blindfolded!" I shout over the wind.

* * *

 **Team Interview: Emma and Kitty**

"Emma always likes to bring up my tobogganing blindfolded. She uses it as an excuse whenever I do anything even remotely fun," Kitty explains.

"For a good reason," I counter. "It's just one great example of how reckless you can be."

"Emma _really_ needs to lighten up," she says to the camera. Turning to me again, she adds, "Come on, sis. This is probably the only time in your life you get to walk on top of a train car. You might as well enjoy it.

"If it doesn't kill me first," I grumble. Kitty just frowns.

 **End Interview**

* * *

We somehow make it across the first car without dying horribly, though Kitty taking selfies the entire time didn't help. I begin to climb down on the other side of the car, but she stops me. "You don't need to get down," she says. "Just watch this."

As she backs up, I step out of the way. "Um, Kit? I'm not sure this is the best idea."

"Banzai!" she yells, taking a running leap and landing neatly on top of the next car. "Oh, what were you saying? Sorry, I wasn't really listening."

"Ugh. Never mind."

Truth be told, I'm not really scared by the height. After a month on the Race, I'd done crazier things. I am more worried by more practical things. Like the fact that if I fell, it could cost us the game (not to mention hurting a lot), and traipsing around on top of a moving train isn't exactly setting a great example for Kitty either. For the game, though, I had to. _Just go. Don't think about it._ "Well, here goes nothing."

I leap, easily clearing the distance and hitting the car on all fours. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Kitty says, cheerfully helping me up.

"I guess." I had to give this one to my little sister. It is far more efficient to travel over the train than to try and fight through whatever animals it contained.

After advancing another car free of further assaults by farm animals, we find the Surfer Dudes waving at us from below. "Hey, dudettes!" Geoff yells.

Before I can stop her, Kitty blurts out, "Wanna work together on the challenge?" She sees my look and explains, "They're our allies, we should be spending more time with them. And they really helped us out in Siberia."

"I guess. But getting us onto that carpet is still our highest priority. Got it?"

"Okay." She shrugs, not really listening. "Come on up here, guys!"

Geoff is the first one up, followed by Brody. "This is neat. Way better than those goats."

Brody nods in agreement. "Yeah. Wait…" He narrows his eyes. "Aren't there those signs that say we have to keep our arms and legs in the cars?"

"I checked. There aren't any on _this_ train, so we can do whatever we want!" Kitty reassures him.

"Cool!"

We make good time, nearing the front of the train by jumping between the cars, when we see two figures up ahead of us. Joseé is pacing, while Jacques is bent over and intently examining something on the edge of the car. Did he drop something of his? As we come closer, it becomes clear as Joseé pulls a lever that undoes a pin connecting the two train cars. But it is too late. "What do we do? The cars are separating!" Kitty yells.

My mind is racing, looking for another way. I can think of nothing. I say the one thing that could possibly keep us in the game. "We jump!" With a massive leap, I am in the air. For a single second, I am suspended above the world- I am flying with the wind in my hair. I can't help but let out a little yelp of excitement. Then I land lightly, though in my mind I am flying still.

* * *

 **Team Interview: Emma And Kitty**

"Jumping between train cars while they're separating? That's _way_ more dangerous than tobogganing blindfolded," says Kitty.

"That was different; it was for the Race. It was extremely risky and I don't want to do it again."

"Admit it, you kind of loved it." She nudges me in the ribs, knowing I am ticklish there, and I can't help but laugh.

* * *

But the truth was, I did. The feeling of leaping into the wind, not knowing whether I was going to make it or go splat on the tracks, was truly awesome. Not that I would ever tell Kitty that.

Geoff jumps next, and Kitty slips. She lands below us on the platform on the side of the car. "Jump, Brody!" she encourages. With every passing moment, the cars grow further and further apart. He launches forwards, reaching for us and safety.

As the two parts of the train separate, something becomes very clear. "He's not gonna make it!"

Brody falls onto the tracks, mere inches from Kitty's outstretched hand. "Watch out, man! The other half of the train!" Geoff points and waves frantically.

He turns around and realizes he's about to be run over with a train. Just in time, MacArthur and Sanders emerge from the train. "Gotcha!" The former jumps out of the train and grabs Brody from the tracks.

Kitty calls, "Thanks, guys! We owe you one!"

But MacArthur has other plans. "Kitty! It was you! _You_ unhooked the train! Sisters, you're now public enemy number one!" She continues to rant as she falls farther and farther behind us.

Brody grins sheepishly at us. "Meet you at the Chill Zone, dudettes!"

Having reached the end of the train we climb back down from the roof, but not before Kitty gets one final selfie with the three of us.

"Do you think Brody is okay?" Kitty asks, looking back at the tracks.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. The Cadets will figure something out."

Now that we are settled up front, all we have to do is wait for the train to reach the station. We are careful to stay out of the Ice Dancers' lines of sight. Strategizing with Kitty is, as usual, a lost cause.

"And I was like 'dude, a robotic hail cloud!' It was totally terrifying. Then Chris made the cloud go _crazy!_ He almost buried me in hail."

"Neat!" Kitty says. "Camp Wawanakwa sounds pretty intense, though. Chris doesn't seem very nice."

"Nah, Chris is cool," says Geoff. "Dude's got a tough job, and it _is_ a million dollars."

"Look, there's the Chill Zone," I interrupt. Before the train even stops moving, the Ice Dancers leap off of it.

"First place!" Joseé declares, stepping onto the carpet.

Don, who is sitting in front of a portable fan, takes a sip of his iced tea and stands up. "Not so fast. Jacques, Joseé, you have earned yourselves a one hour penalty."

Joseé grits her teeth. "What did we ever do," she asks sweetly.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice the _other half of the train_? Go stand in the penalty corner."

"But...we-are outside."

"Ugh, just go stand over there." Don waves his hand noncommittally.

"Well, we're so far ahead of everyone, there's no way the other teams can catch up."

"We left zem-all in zee dust."

We take this opportunity to run to the Chill Zone. "Woo, first place!" Kitty cheers, hugging me.

Jacques puts on a pained smile and pretends not to notice. Joseé's eye twitches.

"Congratulations, Emma and Kitty, on your first win since Dubai!" Don adds. "Just glad it's not them," he mutters. Dubai … it is my first win without Noah. I wonder how he's doing…

"Yeah, you did awesome, dudettes," Geoff says.

"Geoff, you're in s- where's Brody?" Don asks.

"Dude's with the Cadets. Couldn't make it across when the train unhooked. They should be right behind us."

"Coming through! Look out!" yells a familiar voice.

At this point in the competition, I have seen many things, from Owen being a human squeegee to a killer baby seal, and even the Goths smiling. But the bull is a new one.

The raging bovine charges for the carpet, causing us to scatter. Brody and the Cadets are all riding it. MacArthur and Brody are cheering and whooping, while Sanders is screaming, something I could relate to.

"Well, that was terrifying," Don remarks as the bull demolishes a lawn chair. "Cadets take second place, and the Surfers snag third." He turned to Joseé. "Nervous yet?"

She didn't miss a beat. "Hardly."

Andy, the clueless cameraman I had seen around a few times, hands Don an iced tea. He then picks up the wreckage of the lawn chair and backs off.

"Andy, right? Over here!" Kitty waves him over before I can protest.

"Oh hey, Kitty." He extends his hand, which she accepts. "Yep, I'm Andy, one of Don's interns. Don't think we've formally met."

"I'm Emma," I offer, one eye still on Jacques and Joseé's penalty clock.

"So, you work for Don? That's really cool," says Kitty.

"Yeah." Andy shrugs. "I've been helping film and setting up some of the challenges. It can get pretty crazy sometimes."

It was about then that Don shooed Andy out of the way to start filming again. The cameras are once again pointed at us and the Chill Zone.

"The Ice Dancers' penalty is almost up," Don announces. I look over at the penalty clock, noticing that there are only ninety seconds left. "... and here come the Haters!" Immediately the gathered teams- Kitty and I, the Cadets, and the Surfers, all perk up. Ryan and Stephanie are approaching the Chill Zone. They must've not noticed the train was separating, and they looked like they had run the entire way.

We all are cheering for them, and I still keep one eye on the penalty clock. "C'mon, go Ryan and Stephanie!" Kitty yells. "You're not in last! You can make it!"

MacArthur looks up from taunting Jacques and Joseé. "Move it, people! Use your glutes!"

With renewed vigor, they speed up. "It looks like the Haters are going to make it!" Don says.

"Wait, hold up." Mere feet from the Chill Zone and seconds from last place, they stop in their tracks. "I think you mean the _Daters_."

"Yes, we made up, and we're the Daters again now." There were ten seconds on the clock, and they didn't seem to notice. They were too busy making out. Yes, _making out._

"That was nice and all, but you missed one crucial step," Don says.

"Huh?" Stephanie tears herself away from Ryan for a second. "Which one?"

"That one. Ice Dancers, your penalty is up. You get fourth place."

"See, I _told_ you we'd make it," Joseé brags.

"It was-still far too close," Jacques argues. She nods grimly.

"You had one job! You couldn't have waited _five_ seconds to suck faces, could you?" MacArthur yells at Stephanie and Ryan.

"I think that it's great that you guys made up," Kitty interjects. "If you're happy with how you did, that's what matters."

"Sure, that's good and all, but I'm just annoyed they had a chance to get rid of strong competitors for us and they didn't. It would be great to have Jacques and Joseé out of the picture," I say to Kitty, in a low voice to avoid the other teams hearing us.

"We got first place though! You're at least happy about that, right?"

"Of course. Now just to win the big one. We're in the final four, Kit. We can do this."

* * *

 **One of my longer chapters so far, and even though it took** ** _forever_** **to type up I'm proud of it. I tried putting in some confessionals. It was hard to find a way that wouldn't be awkward because I'm writing in first-person.**

 **I'm sorry to say, but this story is probably going to be put on an unofficial hiatus. I'm going to put most of my time into Total Drama: Stormbound, and I recommend you go check that out. I may finish this eventually, and I still have some extras coming soon, so don't worry. You'll be seeing a lot more of me...**

 **Feline out, and remember to fear the cat! =^o.o^=**


	7. The Intern-mission (and author's notes)

**Dear Readers: Guess what's back! Well, not really, but I realized that I never wrapped this story up after pretty much abandoning it so I'm doing that. You also get a fun subplot. I didn't introduce Andy last chapter for nothing.**

 **Weird Update On The Author's Personal Life: I'm mentally preparing myself for the start of school.**

* * *

"I'm bored," Riley announces, flopping down in her seat.

"C'mon Ri, we've only been in the air for thirty minutes," I plead.

We are on a flight to Buenos Aires ahead of the contestants, off to set up the challenge.

"That's a long time," my little cousin insists stubbornly.

For what probably won't be the last time, I regret bringing my little cousin along. Auntie told me it would be good for her to see the world with me, and she was homeschooled so she wouldn't miss much, but bringing a fourth grader along was probably not the best idea.

Our task is to go to the location of the challenge and mark emus with pictures of the different teams. The challenge would involve teams roping them with boleadoras.

Riley would most likely chase of the emus, then get bored and run off. And if she hurt herself, Auntie would kill me.

In worrying about her, I realize I had gone oddly quiet. Riley is continuing to complain, and I am about to tell her something along the lines of "suck it up" when Jayden saves me.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" They pull out their tablet and reach across me to hand it to Riley. "I have _The Time Before Land._ "

Riley perks up immediately.

Jayden is 22 and amazing with kids. They're non-binary, and a few of the other interns are uncomfortable around them, but I think Jay's pretty cool. Besides, without them I'm not sure what I would've done with Riley.

With Riley on one side of me watching her dinosaur movie and Jayden looking out the window on the other, I settle down and eat my bag of airline peanuts.

Hours later, we land in Buenos Aires. We check in to our hotel and are given a few hours to rest and wash up. Then, it is time to start our job.

Jayden leads the way to the "emu" pens, holding Riley's hand. I take up the rear. "Wait, I don't think emus live in Buenos Aires," I realize.

"Look who's the expert ornithologist now," Jayden teases.

"Hey, I just read the brochures Don gave us," I protest, trying to search up where emus live as I walk.

"Okay guys, here's what I found. Emus don't live in Argentina. Those are _probably_ rheas. Here, look." I show them a picture of a rhea I found online … only to look up and find a real rhea staring down at me. I scream and fall over.

Riley starts to laugh at me.

"That isn't very nice," Jayden chides, but they look mildly amused as well.

I get up and brush myself off. "See, those are totally not emus!"

Jayden quirks a brow. "Why are you so obsessed about this? Does it really matter?"

"No, I'm just curious." Obviously, I didn't care _that_ much about emus vs rheas. "Also, when this episode goes live, the nature lovers will be all over us!"

"It's just a matter of changing the Tip, and we can tell Don when he gets here. For now, though, we need to put pictures on these emus." They hold up the portraits of each team … and a roll of duct tape.

I look at them pointedly.

"Or rheas, whatever they are. These birds are coming with us."

* * *

 **Yes, I know the situation is pretty outlandish (especially Riley), but two years ago I thought it would be a fun subplot. I can't find the inspiration to finish this, but I wanted to post what I had.**

 **Regarding RTR as a whole, it's been basically abandoned for a year and I'm pretty much out of the Total Drama fandom now, but I wanted to at least let you guys know what my plans were. I recently reread it, and even though the first-person narration makes me cringe so much, there were some good bits too. I'm proud of A Race To Remember, and to this date it's still my most viewed story!**

 **I mean, it was probably pretty obvious what would happen. A bit of shuffling around in the elimination order, the Sisters win, yada yada yada. The plan was to have the Surfers go home in the Bahamas and the Cadets and Sisters in the finale. They would possibly team up to take the Ice Dancers down. I actually considered having the Cadets win though, both because it would be better for Emma's development and because I love MacArthur and Sanders, but I figured that I might as well go all out.**

 **Something I wanted to explore a bit was a possible Cadets/Sisters conflict, which I ended up doing in a one-shot of mine, 50 Words of MacArthur and Kitty. Something I didn't address in 50 Words, though, is Kitty helping MacArthur and Sanders get together, which I think would be adorable.**

 **If I were to rewrite this story, one of the main things that I would change (besides the awkward use of first-person present tense) is to make my characterization of Emma more consistent. I would want a more defined arc between her and Kitty, because she seemed to change between snappy and affectionate randomly. I just couldn't resist the fluff moments…**

 **Then there's the matter of adoption. I doubt there are many people interested, but if anyone wants to adopt this story, by all means please contact me about it! I'd love to see this get continued!**

 **I really appreciate everyone who read this far! I doubt I would be able to read my own rambling, so I admire you for being able to. With this, my first published story on this site is officially complete. It was one wild ride, and a huge thank you to everyone who read, followed, and favorited (and of course VIPGuest for their review!).**


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